Are you living the dream of having your own business? Or are you thinking of taking the leap and starting your own business? You probably have a tremendous amount of How Questions: How do I get funding? How do I hire good employees? How do I get clients and keep clients? Jack Mencini and Adam Sonnhalter, the “Unstuckers” and the small business coaches from Maximum Value Partners (www.maximumvp.com) get owners unstuck from the state of HOW! (How questions are those questions that perplex small business owners day in and day out.)

In this week’s episode of Dirty Secrets of Small Business at 7:30pm (EST) on WINT Radio 1330 AM and 101.5 FM every Wednesday, the cohosts of the show, Jack and Adam tackle another How Question: How do I stay focused when my personal life is in a state of flux?

Back in the day when you probably had a job for a company who made the rules, told you what to do or gave your expectations of what they wanted you to do on your job, the 24-hour day was probably 8 hours at work, 8 hours relaxation or at home and perhaps, 8 hours of sleep. If you are a small business owner, the lines between these three segments are often blurred and you will find yourself thinking non-stop about business during your 16 hours of wakefulness, and you might even be having dreams or nightmares about your business when you are sleeping.

“Don’t feel guilty if you are thinking about your business or doing your business all the time,” said Jack. “Your family or friends are probably looking for the switch on your body to have you turn off always thinking or talking about the business. There isn’t the switch to turn off your thoughts and good business owners probably wouldn’t want to because that is what makes you successful.”

There are times throughout your life as a small business owner that you need to keep that focus sharp even if your personal life is having challenges. Adam offers some insights on how to get back on track:

Take a day off to be with your kids or your significant other by going for a walk or hike or even just sitting down and catching up with them to see what has been going on in their world.

Look around your office and have a morning, afternoon or even a whole day just to purge the old files or reorganize the piles of magazines and books that date back three years. You will be surprised on how good you will feel if you have made a clean sweep of all the stuff that has been piled on that office chair no one can sit on.

Hit the gym or get on the bike and exercise until you build up a good sweat. You will be amazed how that will clear your head and even give you more energy to be focused.

If the personal issue doesn’t seem to have a resolution from you just battling it in your head, reach out to a good friend or mentor and over coffee ask for their advice. Another viewpoint from someone you trust might help you see a solution you hadn’t even considered.

Change your routine of taking the same route to your office. How many times have you ended up at work or even going back home and it was almost like you were on autopilot and in another zone unaware of how you got to your destination. If you take another route, you are training your brain to be more focused and be open to new answers.

While you are taking that new route home, try listening to a podcast on a topic you are interested in or by someone motivational that you find interesting.

In addition to this How Question, Jack and Adam give insights into how to deal with a difficult person who seems to suck the oxygen out of the room the minute they enter with their negativity and the “in-your-face” attitude.